Firefighters: We Can Go To Work

October 23, 2001|By Madeline BarM-s Diaz Miami Bureau

Three Miami-Dade firefighters suspended during an investigation into reports that they refused to ride on a truck flying the American flag -- allegations the men disputed -- have been asked to return to work, the firefighters said Monday.

"I can't see where we were in violation of any policy, so this is not a surprise," said James Moore, one of the suspended firefighters.

There was no immediate confirmation from Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue.

Moore, Terry Williams and William Clark were suspended last month while the fire department investigated an incident in which an American flag was removed from the fire truck they were riding on. The firefighters said Moore, the driver, removed the flag Sept. 15 because it was blocking his vision, but said they never refused to ride on the truck.

The incident happened during the week of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.. The firefighters, who are black, said that on the day of the incident they voiced their reservations about what the flag represents and about the United States going to war, but that was not the primary reason the flag was removed. They were not told to put the flag back on, they said.

On Sept. 17, Miami-Dade Fire Chief R. D. Paulison ordered flags be flown on all vehicles and all stations.

After the story was initially reported, with the fire department saying the men reportedly refused to ride on the fire truck, people from across the country flooded the department with angry telephone calls. The three men said they've received threatening calls.

Many Miami-Dade firefighters also expressed anger toward their three co-workers. Moore, Williams and Clark said that makes them uncomfortable about returning.

Williams said some firefighters have vowed not to work with them.

"It's not going to be as easy as, `We made a mistake. Come back to work,'" Williams said. "This is a job in which your life rests in the hands of others."

Moore said the men are to meet with their division chief before reporting to work, but were not told the findings of the investigation. They are also consulting an attorney.

Statements by the men's superiors, Lt. Michael Simon and Capt. P. L. DiMaria, who met with Moore and Williams the day of the incident at the Opa-locka station, indicated the firefighters did not refuse to respond to calls that day. Clark, who usually works at another station, was on overtime in Opa-locka that day.

Simon claimed Moore said the flag was removed because it was offensive to him and a "symbol of oppression to the black man." Simon's account also said the men said they would "go home sick" if forced to ride on a truck flying the American flag. He said he left the flag off the truck to prevent a hostile work environment and out of respect for Moore's and Williams's beliefs.

DiMaria noted Moore and Williams said they had issues with what the flag represented and "their convictions would not allow them to ride on an apparatus on which the flag was displayed."

DiMaria blasted the department administration for talking to the media before asking Simon or himself for the facts. "This entire episode has been driven by nothing but emotion, which I feel demonstrates a continuing lack of leadership on the part of this department's top administration."

Madeline BarM-s Diaz can be reached at mbaro@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5007.